Centralia Visited... (Ashland, Laurel Run, Aristes: house, residential, land)

[thecoalman]

Interesting little bit of information about these fires. I may be wrong but as I understand it it's not the coal that burns but the gases created by the coal in the surrounding porous rock that is burning. Coal is really hard to burn and needs a specific environment, anybody that has ever tried to light a coal fire would know this. For example if you had a pile of coal you could dump all kinds of flammable liquid on it and it won't light. The best example I heard was from one of my forum members that said he went to the aftermath of a house fire where the whole thing went up in flames and you could see the pile of unburned coal in the basement.

I'd imagine this is why these fires are so hard to put out, you can't simply mine the fuel out to create a fire break.

[AmeriKenArtist]

From the owner of the Ashland Mine Tour Co. that the problem started at the town dump.

[vasiliymeshko]

Hope you don't mind me posting photos from my trip to Centralia. These were all taken in Mid-December of last year.

View from Aristes, PA.

South Hill (I think that's what it's called ):















Centralia Town Hall from South Hill:



View from north towards South Hill:

Subsided section of PA 61:














Dead end:


Former site of Centralia's town landfill, located behind Odd Fellows cemetery (top left) The fire is presumed to have originated somewhere in this area:


Pressure vents installed when the fire was still raging here (it has since moved elsewhere):


Centralia pano from South Hill:

[InfectedMushroom]

I really gotta check this place out...

[Chefkey]

vasiliymeshko, Thank you for the pictures. Your town view gives me the first perspective of the area where people where trying to live. Truly not a place to call home.

[dansdrive]

So what's the story with Centralia, I know if the land time forgot and the coal under neath is burning but is there a plan to put it out? why don't they build a thermal power generating plant over all that heat so PA can get cheaper electricity rates?

Nice pictures thanks for sharing! got hot dogs?

[vasiliymeshko]

Current population of Centralia is something like 7 or 9. The borough used to be a home for over 2000 people, during its peak days.

[vasiliymeshko]

Who would want to spend thousands trying to build a plant on a ground that is unstable, to have it possibly cave in, or blow up. It is estimated that the fire has enough material to sustain itself for more than 250 years (not to say that it might not extinguish itself sooner).

[dansdrive]

Originally Posted by vasiliymeshko

Who would want to spend thousands trying to build a plant on a ground that is unstable, to have it possibly cave in, or blow up. It is estimated that the fire has enough material to sustain itself for more than 250 years (not to say that it might not extinguish itself sooner).

WOW 250 years....what a waste of all that energy! There must be a way to harness it and create jobs for the area. The 7 to 9 people may do to 14 to 18 with the right business being built.

[cowboyxjon]

I remember driving through Centralia with my grandparents when I was a kid. I grew up in Pottsville, but my grandparents used to like to go to a camper/RV place in Elysburg, and would take Route 61 through Centralia.

I also remember when most of the homes were being demolished after the buyout. I don't know if there are many pictures, but there were new homes along 61 between Centralia and Mt. Carmel, and it was so spooky when those were finally bought out, boarded up, and assigned a big, spray-painted number on the front for demolition because they were so new! I'm not certain, but I think later on it was determined that it was unlikely that the fire would burn in that direction. I remember one of the homes being an A-frame in particular, but I have no idea why I remember this.

Thanks for the pictures! It's interesting to see what it looks like now.